settembre 2012 Blog Posts

Emergent Architecture, what really is?

What is Emergent Architecture then ? I start writing down a description, you are welcome to add yours. I begin with a story that in my opinion describe the dynamic of an Emergent Architecture In Oregon in 1975 when faced with the decision of where to build footpaths between newly erected student housing, the architect let the authorities first plant grass between the buildings. Students were left free to walk on the grass. Later, the footpaths were placed on the paths the students feet had traced on the lawn. ...

Deeper into WIP Limit

When the basic concepts and practices of Kanban are in place in the team, it is time to look at the whole picture. A general principle WIP limit is a tool to adapt the work commitments to the current whole system bottlenecks/capacity and an help to achieve continuous flow and implement a pull-system. WIP limit, continuous flow, whole system value stream mapping, a pull-system , transparency and visualization and frequent inspections are prerequisites in the sense that they are the means to achieve the goal of: Just-In-Time Production The main WIP to limit All the work done prior to the production use...

On Lean & Agile

I'm reflecting about similarities and differences between Lean and Agile software development to challenge and deepen my understanding and gain new insights. You are welcome to add your comments with more reflections on similarities and differences. My reflections start with this interesting paper about similarities between Lean and Agile: When you’re Agile you get Lean by Charlie Rudd.  And continue with the book  "Prioritize, focus, deliver" by Tomas Björholm and Hans Brattberg from Crisp that name this long list of things that Lean have in common with Scrum and XP: - Prioritization and focus, transparence, high quality, iterative and incremental development, cooperation to...

Top reasons for projects success

A big value of XP, Scrum, Lean, Kanban and Agile in general is the decreased time to market and increased success rate. What are the top perceived reasons for projects success then? The book from Crisp 'Prioritera Fokusera Leverera' references two sources on the matter. The Standish Group CHAOS report 2006: The Harvard Business School article from professor Alan MacCormack 2001 that lists: An early release of the evolving product design to customers Daily incorporation of new software code and rapid feedback on design changes A team with broad-based experience of shipping multiple...

Software development & Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Here follow some dialogs from the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. What Sushi have to do with Software? Maybe nothing, you tell me. Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably. All of the sushi is simple. It's completely minimal. Master chefs from around the world eat at Jiro's and say... “How can something so simple have so much depth in flavor?" If you were to sum up Jiro's sushi in a nutshell......